


one single thread of gold (tied me to you)

by lgbtqshipper



Category: Stargirl (TV 2020)
Genre: Cabin Fic, Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sharing a Bed, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25749121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbtqshipper/pseuds/lgbtqshipper
Summary: Her eyes land on Yolanda first and foremost, and she instinctively runs to hug her, relieved beyond belief. Courtney has to rise onto her toes a little bit to do so, but as she buries her head in the crook of Yolanda's neck, she finds that she doesn't mind."I'm glad you're safe," she whispers without thinking, heedless of the fact that Beth is also hugging her and Rick is awkwardly standing nearby when Yolanda relaxes into her embrace and murmurs, "Me too."ORthe starcat/hournite cabin fic.
Relationships: Beth Chapel/Rick Tyler, Yolanda Montez/Courtney Whitmore
Comments: 35
Kudos: 77





	one single thread of gold (tied me to you)

**Author's Note:**

> so this is for the stargirl countdown to the s1 finale!!! tbh now that i'm writing it out i can't believe that we're already at the FINALE, it seems like only yesterday that the pilot was airing. this is wild. 
> 
> anyways, this is for day 3: favorite location! mine is the cabin, mainly bc childhood nostalgia has me in a chokehold and i LOVED the cabin my extended family owned that i'd always go to in the summer and get to hang out with my favorite cousins (and the closest ones to my age lol). :) this is DEFINITELY not like the times i had in the cabin though lmaooooo. also i was tired and wrote most of this at night w/o any references to what the cabin actually looks like, so if some of the geography of the cabin is off (like i have no idea if the window seat exists and also i just moved the desk into rick's room for plot convenience) just ignore that lol.
> 
> the fic title is from "invisible string" by taylor swift and the chapter title is from "cardigan" by taylor swift.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starsquad arrives at the cabin and Courtney and Yolanda end up sharing a bed. A little later on, so do Beth and Rick.

By the time they finally arrive at the cabin, Courtney is _exhausted_. So much has happened just _today--_ she met her dad, learned that he wasn't Starman, learned that he _was_ a huge jerk, though; worried that she was no longer worthy of being Stargirl, found out that the ISA know who she is, packed up all of her things, _and_ fought against Tigress with nobody except her mom there to help. Honestly, this day had felt more like a _week,_ and the only thing that had been keeping her going was adrenaline. Now that she's no longer in any imminent danger, though, she's struggling to keep her eyes open. The only thing keeping her from giving in and falling asleep in the back of the car is the fact that she has yet to see herself that her friends are safe and unharmed at the cabin.

But when they pull up in the driveway, Courtney's energy returns enough that she's unbuckling her seatbelt and jumping out of the cab of the truck almost before it's even fully stopped, despite Pat's loud protests.

Her eyes land on Yolanda first and foremost, and she instinctively runs to hug her, relieved beyond belief. Courtney has to rise onto her toes a little bit to do so, but as she buries her head in the crook of Yolanda's neck, she finds that she doesn't mind.

"I'm glad you're safe," she whispers without thinking, heedless of the fact that Beth is also hugging her and Rick is awkwardly standing nearby when Yolanda relaxes into her embrace and murmurs, "Me too."

When the sound of wheels crunching on gravel echoes behind her, though, they all stiffen up. Courtney turns around and steps forward, determined to protect her friends, only calming down when the only person who steps out of the car is Janitor Justin, holding a bag of KFC. She smiles wearily at him and and begins to walk up to the cabin, but freezes in place when she feels something large whoosh overhead. _Can't we just get a break??_ Courtney almost doesn't want to look up, as if not acknowledging whatever's flying above them will make it go away, but with a beleaguered sigh, she does, only to be greeted with... S.T.R.I.P.E.? It lands in the driveway on autopilot, practically as tall as the trees around them, before making the same locking noise a _car_ would. Courtney thinks that she might've laughed if she wasn't so tired. _Subtle._

Hoping that there will be no more surprises, Courtney ushers her friends away, her hand briefly resting on Yolanda's back as she guides her toward the cabin.

It only lasts for a second, really, but Courtney knows that later she'll think about if it meant the same thing to Yolanda that it does to her--an unspoken _I've got you, I care for you (maybe as more than a friend)_ \--or if Yolanda thinks about it too, if it means anything to Yolanda at all.

All of these thoughts disappear when they finally enter the cabin.

"Holy shit," Rick mutters next to her. "Can we stay here even after we defeat the Injustice Society?"

Courtney has to agree. The spacious rooms, giant windows, and vaulted ceilings feel like they were taken straight out of a mansion, but the cabin still manages to feel cozy and rustic. There are already logs piled in the giant fireplace and from here, Courtney can see a large, cushioned window seat in the middle of the upstairs hallway. The wooden beams on the ceiling are exposed, the lights are warm, and the though of possibly living here with all of her friends makes Courtney feel undeniably _happy._

"Okay, kids, I want you all to get some sleep," Pat says from behind them, and all four turn to face him. "I know there's a lot of pressure on you right now, but that's _precisely_ why you need it. And it doesn't have to be now, or even for that long, but I want you to promise me that you'll all get at least a little rest."

Courtney's nodding before he's even finished, and around her the others echo her sentiment.

"Actually, I'm going to head up now," Courtney decides when her tiredness once again makes itself known, picking her bags up. "Wake me up if anything happens."

"Good night, Court," Yolanda says softly, followed by a "Good night, Courtney!!" and a "'Night." from Beth and Rick, respectively.

Sparing them one last sleepy smile, Courtney lugs her things up the stairs and goes into the closest room, which happens to be at the end of the hall. Dropping her bags on the floor carelessly as she shoves the door closed with her shoulder, she collapses onto the bed and falls into a deep, dreamless sleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

* * *

When Courtney wakes up, she checks the clock in her room and is astonished when she realizes that it's only been two hours. _How could I have already woken up when I was so tired before?_

She resolves to go back to sleep, but after a few minutes of tossing and turning, it's not hard to tell that she's restless and worried about tomorrow.

And there's only one person who can fix that.

Getting out of bed, Courtney opens her door and tiptoes into the hallway. She grimaces at the sudden brightness, with most of the light coming from either downstairs and the next room down from hers. Glancing in through the wide open door, Courtney sees Rick sitting at the desk, glaring down at his father's journal like it's personally offended him, and Beth lying on the bed, clearly having fallen asleep in the middle of brainstorming, although her goggles have been removed and placed on the bedside table and the blanket has been pulled over her sleeping form. A smile tugs at the corner of Courtney's mouth as she thinks about how Rick must have taken the time to stop puzzling over the codes just to tuck Beth in, and she shakes her head at how _oblivious_ the two of them are before continuing silently down the hall. Mike is laying in the nook, his Switch still clutched in his hands as he sleeps, and Courtney can hear the adults talking quietly downstairs, so she knows that Yolanda must be in the next room down with the doors closed and the lights off. 

When she reaches the room she stops briefly, debating whether she should do this since it seems like Yolanda is trying to sleep. She comes to the decision to do it as quietly as possible so she can always leave if Yolanda's sleeping, but as she opens the door her plan immediately goes awry (as per usual). Yolanda rolls over to face her right away, and she flinches guiltily. _What was I thinking?_

"Sorry for waking you up," Courtney apologizes, already slowly backing out into the hallway. "I'll let you--"

"You didn't," Yolanda interrupts her. After a long moment, she sighs and sits up. "I couldn't sleep."

Courtney pauses. "Me either."

"You want to come in?" Yolanda asks her, noticing the way that she's hovering hesitantly in the doorway. Courtney nods gratefully, padding over to the bed. Wordlessly, Yolanda scoots over and Courtney crawls under the covers, and the two just look at each other in the semi-darkness for a couple seconds before either of them speak.

"I miss you." Yolanda breaks the silence first, honest and open. Courtney finds her hand under the blankets and squeezes it reassuringly.

"I'm right here," she breathes.

"I know, I just mean in general," Yolanda says. "I miss hanging out with you and having fun, before all of this happened. And I love Beth and Rick, but they aren't _you."_

Courtney's heart stutters in her chest, and she can't help but grin widely because even if Yolanda doesn't mean it like _that,_ even if she just means that Courtney's her best friend, Courtney will be happy with that, even if that's all there ever is between them.

"You know, you're my favorite too," she stage whispers, as if she's letting Yolanda in on some big secret.

"Duh," Yolanda scoffs, but Courtney can see the small, fragile smile on her face in the light filtering in from the hall, and it makes her heart feel like it's about to _explode_ to know that she put it there. 

"And after all of this is over," Courtney continues, "we can hang out as much as you want, just the two of us. I promise."

"Okay," Yolanda says simply, like that's all the reassurance she needs. A couple seconds pass without any further talking, and just when Courtney thinks that she's fallen asleep, she makes a shy request: "If you wouldn't mind... Could you hold me? It would really help me to sleep better."

Courtney's heartbeat spikes at the request. _Be cool, Whitmore. You've done this with tons of friends before._ The rational part of her brain reminds her that she never had romantic feelings for any of those other friends, but she ignores it. _Just platonic snuggling,_ she insists, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Of course."

Yolanda turns onto her other side, facing away from her, and Courtney shifts closer, wrapping an arm around Yolanda's torso and resting her chin on Yolanda's shoulder. She barely has the time to think, _Yolanda was right, this_ does _help,_ before she's falling back into a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

"Beth, wake up!"

Beth opens her eyes to a smiling Rick Tyler shaking her awake, and the sight is so unprecedented that for a second she thinks she's still dreaming. When she realizes that she isn't, his smile is so infectious and endearing that she finds herself smiling right back, even though she's groggy and disoriented. She stretches slightly and starts when she realizes that the blanket on Rick's bed is covering her. _Did I fall asleep? And did Rick Tyler... tuck me in?_

"I figured out the code!" Rick says next, and he sounds so _excited_ that Beth forgets what she was thinking about and grins from ear to ear when she realizes what he means.

"I'm so proud of you, Rick! I knew you could do it!" she replies earnestly, and he practically _beams._ "What was the key?"

"'66,' for my dad's old car," Rick tells her. "Pat suggested it, and it worked! The journal is a map of the--"

"Rick, don't get me wrong, I'm just as excited as you are," Beth interrupts him, fighting back a yawn. "But we can talk more about this in the morning. Right now you need to get some sleep." She pats the spot next to her on the bed expectantly.

Rick gives her a weird look. "Don't you want to go back to your own bed?"

"No," Beth answers without thinking. Her eyes widen as she realizes what she said, and she quickly backpedals. "I mean, unless you want me to, of course. I just meant that since I'm already really comfy here--"

"Uh, no, I don't want you to go," he cuts her off this time. "I mean, I don't mind if you stay here. I'm totally cool with it." And... is Rick Tyler _blushing??_

"Okay. Yeah, sounds good," Beth says, nodding a little too emphatically. The awkwardness between them is palpable as Rick turns off the lights and gets under the covers next to her, and Beth lies there stock-still, staring up at the ceiling, as she listens to his breathing even out in mere minutes. Logically, she knows that since he's stayed up all night of course he'd be tired and fall asleep easily, but she just wishes that she too could just go back to sleep again and not be so hyperaware of the fact that she's sharing a _bed_ with her best friend/crush.

Almost like her thoughts have awakened him, Beth feels Rick's hand on her arm. "Wha--" she starts, which turns into an undignified and indignant squeak when he suddenly pulls her against him, wrapping his arms around her. Beth struggles against his grip, but all of the working out he's been doing recently to stay strong during the time he's not using his hourglass is clearly paying off (and, if Beth's being honest with herself, she's not struggling that hard, either). Straining her next to look up at his face, Beth notices that Rick's eyes are still closed and his breathing hasn't changed, meaning that Rick must have... sleep-snuggled her? Beth would absolutely have woken him up to tease him about this if she wasn't worried he'd pull further away from her again (physically and emotionally), because really, how cute is that?

 _I'll tease him about it in the morning,_ she decides, giving in to her impulse to relax into Rick's chest. His hoodie is soft and it smells vaguely of engine grease and gasoline (they all do no matter how many times Rick washes them, and she's comes to associate those smells with him), and it's only when that comforting and oh-so-familiar scent pervades all of her senses that Beth is finally able to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes this is going to be a series.... yes i know i said that i didn't want to start another multichapter fic when i already have so many prompts left and other wips sitting around....... tbh idc anymore.
> 
> anyways! if you enjoyed this please leave kudos/comments, i crave validation!! or if you want to do it anonymously or whatever, here's my [tumblr](https://cindyburman.tumblr.com) where i post exclusively abt stargirl all of the time!!
> 
> and of course, here's the [blm carrd](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/)!!! this fight is not over, far from it, so please help out in any way you can!!!


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